Exploring the research progression and evolutionary trends of medical adverse events

BACKGROUND: Medical adverse events pose a major global health challenge that affects millions of patients. Despite growing research interest, bibliometric analysis in this area is lacking. This study seeks to map the current landscape of medical adverse events and identify the relevant knowledge domains and trends through a bibliometric approach. METHODS: We comprehensively reviewed the research on medical adverse events using the Web of Science Core Collection database and summarized the findings. Our analysis encompassed data ranging from 2014 to 2024, utilizing the topic keywords "medical" and "adverse events." We employed the R package "Bibliometrix" to compute key bibliometric characteristics, and a three-field plot was generated to illustrate the interrelationships among authors, institutions, and countries. Using CiteSpace, we developed knowledge maps and conducted co-occurrence analyses, clustering analyses, timeline evaluations and burst term detections. RESULTS: A total of 2539 articles on medical adverse events were published, with a steady annual increase that peaked in 2022. The U.S. led with 862 articles (34%), followed by China with 253 (10%). The top 10 countries contributed 1782 articles, or 70% of the total. The leading 5 institutions were all US-based, and the Journal of Patient Safety had the most publications. The focus of recent research has been placed on "immune checkpoint inhibitors," "COVID-19 vaccines," "public health," and 'maternal mortality', indicating that these are emerging popular topics. COVID-19 vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors have become prominent research areas, with strengths of 4.71 and 4.38, respectively. CONCLUSION: In summary, this study systematically depicted the knowledge structure and evolution pattern of the medical adverse event research field from 2014 to 2024. The United States leads in publication output and institutional influence, while the developing countries relatively lacked the global research network. Traditional drug safety research remains central, with immune checkpoint inhibitor-related adverse events and COVID-19 vaccine safety emerging as new hotspots. These findings provide valuable references for researchers and empirical evidence for the formulation of global patient safety strategies.